How is the Coconut Water Processed?
- The fresh, semi-mature coconuts are de-husked and de-shelled, then peeled. The remaining white flesh is spray washed and then grated. This round soft flesh is then placed on a spike that pierces into the center of the coconut. This water flows down a stainless steel pipe to a refrigerated holding tank.
- When enough coconut water has been collected, (this usually takes less than an hour) it is flash heated to 70 degrees C (158 degrees F) and held there for 2 seconds.
- The batch is quickly cooled to 4 degrees C (Refrigerator temperature - 39 degrees F).
- Later the batch is flash heated again, but this time to 140 degrees C (284 degrees F) and held there for 4 seconds.
- And then it is quickly cooled to 30 degrees C (86 degrees F or close to room temperature).
- Now it is ready to go into the tetra paks. Everything is at room temperature when it is packaged and sealed.
Some type of processing is necessary for all coconut water to make it shelf stable. Of all the methods available, most people prefer the quality and taste of coconut water produced by this method. Normally, when coconut water is canned it is heated to boiling and then put in the cans, where they are sealed and placed in an auto clave-like oven with high pressure and temperatures, for 90 minutes.
On the other hand, when coconut water is produced with the flash heating and cooling method as described above (the way ours is produced), very little effect on the taste or quality of the product can be detected. Most people feel as though this method yields coconut water that tastes incredibly fresh.
Tetra Pak Material
The tetra pak material is actually a 4-layer laminated carton. The layer closest to the coconut milk or cream is a food grade polyethylene plastic that is acid resistant and will not breakdown or leach into even high acid foods, such as orange juice and tomato juice. The plastic never sees any heat during packaging except on the seams when it is sealed.
Does the Coconut Water go through the same process as what is described for the milk and cream?
Yes, the flash heating and cooling is exactly the same for the coconut water as it is for the coconut cream and coconut milk; however, the coconut water is not made by pressing out the white flesh of the coconut. Instead it is collected after opening the coconut and is simply the water found in the center.
One other difference is this water is tested for sweetness. This occurs because from one season to another and from one coconut to another there are variations in these coconuts, so each batch is tested for brix (an assessment of sweetness). Any batch that is below 5 brix will have a very small amount of evaporated cane juice added, so that every package from every batch has the exact same sweetness. The evaporated cane juice crystals are only added when necessary but make it much easier for customers who wish to kefir their coconut water or use it in recipes.
